🎯 Goal: Locate your Freshdesk API key and copy it safely for use in integrations (e.g., MyOperator), then validate it works.

📚 Table of contents

• When & why to use this
• Prerequisites
• Quick answer (copy‑paste steps)
• Step‑by‑step (Mint UI vs. Classic)
• Validate your API key
• Troubleshooting
• Edge cases & limitations
• Security & rotation best practices
• Use with MyOperator (example)
• FAQ
• Related articles
• Structured data (HowTo + FAQPage)

🧭 When & why to use this

• Connect Freshdesk to other tools (telephony, bots, reporting) that authenticate via API key.
• Test API access from your machine before handing off to automation.

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📋 Prerequisites

• ✅ You can sign in to your Freshdesk helpdesk (agent or admin account).
• ✅ Your organization allows API access (most plans do; confirm with your admin if unsure).

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✅ Quick answer (copy‑paste steps)

1) Log in to Freshdesk (https://<yourdomain>.freshdesk.com)2) Click your profile avatar (top-right) → Profile Settings3) Find the “Your API Key” section → Click to reveal/copy4) Store it securely (password manager); treat it like a password

🔐 Your API key is unique per user. If you rotate it, integrations using your key must be updated.

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🪜 Step‑by‑step (Mint UI vs. Classic)

Mint UI (most accounts)

1. Sign in to your Freshdesk portal: https://<yourdomain>.freshdesk.com
2. Click your avatar (top‑right) → Profile Settings
3. On your profile page, locate Your API Key on the right
4. Click Show (if hidden) → Copy

Classic UI (older accounts)

1. Avatar (top‑right) → Your Profile
2. Find API Key panel → Show → Copy

📱 Mobile: Use a desktop browser for this action; key visibility may be limited on mobile.

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✅ Validate your API key

Run a simple read‑only request (replace placeholders):

# Example: list 1 ticket to confirm the key workscurl -u <YOUR_API_KEY>:X \  "https://<yourdomain>.freshdesk.com/api/v2/tickets?per_page=1"

Success looks like: HTTP 200 with JSON (an array of tickets or []). If you see 401 Unauthorized, recheck the domain and key.

ℹ️ Freshdesk uses Basic Auth with the API key as the username and any single character (commonly X) as the password.

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🛠️ Troubleshooting

Can’t see the API key

• Ensure you’re viewing your own profile (not another user’s page)
• Ask an admin if API access is restricted by policy/plan

401 Unauthorized

• Wrong domain (e.g., custom domain vs. <yourdomain>.freshdesk.com)
• Key has been rotated; copy the new key and update integrations
• Extra spaces or hidden characters when pasting — try a plain‑text paste

SSO users

• SSO does not remove the API key, but some orgs disable API usage; confirm with your admin

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⚖️ Edge cases & limitations

• Per‑user keys: Each agent has their own key; use a service account for automations where possible
• Rate limits: Large exports or syncs may hit API limits; stagger your requests
• Sandbox vs. production: Keys are workspace‑specific; ensure you’re in the right portal

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🔒 Security & rotation best practices

• Treat the API key like a password; store it in a password manager
• Rotate the key if it was ever shared in chat or email
• After rotation, update all integrations that relied on the old key
• Prefer least privilege: use a dedicated automation user where feasible

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🔗 Use with MyOperator (example)

When asked for your Freshdesk credentials in MyOperator (or any connector):

• Domain: https://<yourdomain>.freshdesk.com
• API Key: paste your copied key

For a quick health check, run the Validate curl above with your domain.

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❓ FAQ

Q: Can I regenerate (rotate) my API key?
A: Yes — on your Profile Settings page, use Regenerate (or similar). Update any tools using the old key.

Q: Do admins see other users’ keys?
A: No. Keys are visible only on each user’s own profile page.

Q: Is OAuth available instead?
A: Some Freshworks products support OAuth apps; however, most simple scripts/integrations still use the per‑user API key.

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🔗 Related articles

• Use your Freshdesk API key in MyOperator → /kb/integrations/myoperator-freshdesk-api
• Rotate or revoke your Freshdesk API key → /kb/freshdesk/rotate-api-key
• Troubleshoot Freshdesk 401/403 errors → /kb/freshdesk/api-auth-errors

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🧱 Structured data (HowTo + FAQPage)

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